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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book - the main character was a tragic, likeable anti-hero and it was an interesting take on the mysterious 11 day disappearance of Agatha Christie. Some of the threads of the story that wove together were a little hard to believe so I took off a star but it was an interesting quick read.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This book was a satisfying read. It’s rare to find a book that has a plot line based on real events but reads like the truth. It was a brilliant work of fiction that engrossed me to the very last page. I am always grateful for that experience. This mystery / romance / historical fiction has a great plot line, fantastic characters, twists and turns, and a satisfying ending. Read it today!
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is an alternative history account of what might have happened in the eleven days of famed mystery writer, Agatha Christie's disappearance.. Nan O'Dea relates the story. She also happens to be Archie Christie's, husband to Agatha, mistress.
Nan, within the first chapter, full admits she doesn't love Archie so why would she do all in her power to have him and no one else? Here is the mystery Nan relates as she slowly reveals her motivations. In doing so, she'll touch on World War I and it's aftermath, the Irish fight for independence that followed immediately after and even touch on the infamous Magdalene Laundries.
Nan, as a narrator, tells a lot more than she shows and this slowed down the novel immensely. de Gramont follows the story for the whole of the eleven days of Agatha's disappearance but the bulk of the novels action takes place in the last 3 days. de Gramont has a strong knowledge of the time period, but often gets lost in her own descriptions. This is an ambitious novel, touching on critical points in history through the lens of a famous disappearance but in doing so falls a bit short of the de Gramont's high aspirations.
Note: I received a complementary copy of this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Nan, within the first chapter, full admits she doesn't love Archie so why would she do all in her power to have him and no one else? Here is the mystery Nan relates as she slowly reveals her motivations. In doing so, she'll touch on World War I and it's aftermath, the Irish fight for independence that followed immediately after and even touch on the infamous Magdalene Laundries.
Nan, as a narrator, tells a lot more than she shows and this slowed down the novel immensely. de Gramont follows the story for the whole of the eleven days of Agatha's disappearance but the bulk of the novels action takes place in the last 3 days. de Gramont has a strong knowledge of the time period, but often gets lost in her own descriptions. This is an ambitious novel, touching on critical points in history through the lens of a famous disappearance but in doing so falls a bit short of the de Gramont's high aspirations.
Note: I received a complementary copy of this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
The novel is written in the 1st person from the viewpoint of Nan O’Day, Archie Christie’s mistress. It starts a day or two before Agatha Christie’s famous 11-day disappearance. Throughout the novel, we move between time from Nan’s past to counting down the days of what presumably occurred during Agatha’s missing days. The mystery in the novel does not come from Agatha’s disappearance as once would have presumed, but from a possible double murder at a hotel, Nan is staying. The romance sprinkled throughout amongst a few of the key players. I wanted to like this novel very much, as I am a huge Agatha Christie fanatic. However, I found myself put off by the inconsistency in the narrative. While it is intended to be a 1st personal narrative, you can see where the author seemed to forget herself and jump into the third-person narrative seemingly without reason. Additionally, this was sold as a Historical Fiction telling of Agatha Christie’s missing days, and while that does play a very small part it is more so a Historical imagining of Archie Christie’s mistress' life. I feel that this would have been so much better a story if they had not tried to sell it as a story about Agatha and more about a woman who has to make tough life choices due to the hand she is dealt. I encourage others to read it as it is deep down a very good story but warn that it may not be quite what you may have thought.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t even want to give this one a thorough review because I simply didn’t like it that much. The writing was fine, which is the most I can say. The audiobook narrator kept using accents for characters that struck me at off color at BEST. The whole plot of this book felt like a weirdly disrespectful piece of fiction about a real person. Why not simply write fiction??? This should have been advertised as historical fiction about the horrors of motherhood and cruelty of the time. With nothing to do with Agatha Christie.